He was addressing a function of the US Consulate General Mumbai to mark the 242nd anniversary of American Independence.

"So much of the way the relationship between India and the US is today was started here. It was people in Western India, in Mumbai. People who were committed to trading and education were at the heart of building the relationship we share today," he said.

He added that this relationship keeps growing, unlike many others he had worked on which had been built from the top to down.

Kagan said both countries were increasingly critical partners as the two dealt with some of the world's most challenging problems. "That's true of our collaboration in the defense and security space. That's true of our cooperation in the United Nations and other international forums," Kagan said.

"We share not just values of democracy, free speech, and respect for liberty and diversity. We also share respect for the idea that freedom for innovation is best for both countries," he said.

He added that Indian entrepreneurs have played a very important part in strengthening ties between the two countries.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)